Don't Want A Love Like Ice!
by hailstorm888
Summary: Mei Kurosaki and Hugh Oakley have been best friends forever. And now that Mei finally has her own Pokemon, the two are setting off on their journeys. They'll have new experiences, both terrific and horrifying! Of course, that little part where Mei has an enormous crush on Hugh will probably make things a little more interesting too... Sequelshipping!
1. Chapter 1

**YAY NEW STORIES AND COUPLES AND ADVENTURES! **

**So I was going to wait until I was almost done with my FerriswheelShipping story to start this one because there's a lot of connections between the two, but I didn't want to wait any longer. So who's ready for some SequelShipping?! Please tell me what you think about the chapter after reading as well! Also, I'm not very happy with the name of this story right now, so if you have any suggestions, please tell me and I'll totally give you credit and I'll even name a character after you in this or whatever one of my stories you'd like!**

**I don't own Pokemon! **

**DON'T WANT A LOVE LIKE ICE**

Chapter 1: The Zebstrika And The Rapidash

_Thursday, June 11th_

Hugh had wanted nothing more than to stay home and help his parents decorate his soon to be sister's room. She was still in his mom's tummy, and still wasn't very big, but she'd be out pretty soon, at least that's what he'd been told. Hugh had wanted no part of this new neighbor thing. His parents had told him all about the new kids that were moving in to that brand new full size house down the street, and how there was going to be a boy about his age there that he'd be best friends with. No. That was not Hugh's plan.

He didn't have many friends, and that was because he didn't want them. Boys his age were... well, Hugh didn't know the word. After all, he was only five years old. But they got dirty, played in their mom's gardens, scared their sisters with bugs they'd find, and built Lego towers just to knock them down with toy dinosaurs. At least Hugh could agree that that last part was pretty fun, but the rest of it just wasn't his style. And because of that Hugh usually played by himself. Until his sister would come along anyways.

Aspertia City was brand new in pretty much every way, the condo that Hugh was living in was only about a year old itself, with Hugh's family having moved in as soon as it'd been built. Where this new neighbor's house was being built was in the newest district of Aspertia, and many houses here were still in the construction process. Hugh did have to admit that it looked pretty nice. It was made up of red bricks and had a dark red roof. It'd been built right next to Tympole pond, which Hugh and his father often visited together. It, unlike the condo Hugh and his family lived in, also had a good sized yard surrounded by a pure white picket fence. The mailbox was a plain silver, and a man was kneeling beside it when Hugh and his parents approached.

"Mr. Kurosaki?" Hugh's mother politely asked. The man looked up hastily, and banged his head into the mailbox Hugh now realized that he was painting on.

He laughed nervously, and rubbed his head, adjusting his glasses as well. Hugh only scowled. The guy was pretty much a nerd, and Hugh didn't understand what his parents would want with a guy like this. He had short, dark brown hair which was now all messy, and was wearing a pair of paint covered, dirty overalls with a red and green plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He was all sweaty too, and Hugh crinkled his nose at the smell of body odor.

"Ah, sorry about that. You must be the Oakleys!" Hugh's mother smiled again and put her hands on Hugh's shoulders.

"That'd be us! My name is Dana, and this is my husband, Chris." Hugh's mother was pretty much the exact opposite of his father. His mother was friendly, comforting, generous, and all that mushy stuff, while his father was relatively quiet and not so much friendly. His mother quickly jut an elbow into his dad's gut when he didn't offer a hand to shake. It might've been funny, if Hugh had wanted to be there in the first place.

Chris cleared his throat and gulped, before shaking the other man's hand firmly.

"Of course, of course." There was silence for a moment more, before the nerdy man remembered to introduce himself. "Oh, sorry, nearly forgot, I'm Clyde! Just a little forgetful after the move I suppose," There was a second awkward silence, which Hugh continued to frown through.

"So, um, what are you working on Clyde?"  
>"Oh, just painting the name on the mailbox! I told the kids that they could decorate it later on, but Kyohei didn't really seem that interested. Maybe you could help my daughter out on it?" The question had been directed towards Hugh, who only stared back at the man in annoyance. Clyde's face became red, and he looked away.<p>

"Hugh," His mother said his name in a warning tone. "Sorry about him, he's just in a mood."

"It's alright, we all know how kids can be!" The parents, except for Hugh's dad, laughed. He looked almost as uncomfortable as Hugh was irritated. "Anyways, my wife is in the back with Kyohei if you'd like to go and see her, there's a gate in the fence just over there." Clyde pointed and Dana thanked him. Chris stayed behind while Hugh and his mother went into the backyard. The lady back there was in some old jeans and a pink t-shirt, and was wearing her own apron thing while she planted flowers and vegetables in the garden.

Just as Hugh had expected, the boy in this family was sitting in some loose dirt, sifting through it and playing with worms. He crinkled his nose and hoped his mom wouldn't say anything.

"Now Hugh, I expect you to be nice to this boy and play with him."

"But mom-"

"No buts, you need to make a friend! His name is Kyohei, now go."

"I-"

"Go." Hugh scowled but said nothing more, and struggled not to stomp over to where the boy with the big brown hair was playing. That hair looked like it hadn't been washed in months. Hugh couldn't even tell what color his pants were, or if they were shorts. The boy's legs were covered in dirt.

"Hi." Hugh said, glaring at Kohee or whatever his name was. He looked up at Hugh and grinned.

"Hey! You must be that new kid!" _No. _Hugh thought to himself. _You're the new kid. _Kohee's face lit up. "Do you wanna make mud pies with me?" Hugh didn't reply. He didn't want to get into trouble for saying no, but didn't want to do it either.

"Boys, come on, we're going inside!" Kohee jumped up and ran to his own mom. She was tall and thin, and she also had brown hair, a lighter color than her husbands' and sons', and it was tied up in an enormous bun atop her head. She frowned when she saw Kohee. "No Kyohei."

"What?"

"You are not going into the house like that. Take off your shirt and go wash off with the hose."

"But _moom,_"

"Now." Were all moms like that? Kyohei pulled off his shirt, and walked towards the other side of the yard, pouting. Not that Hugh cared. He ran over to his own mother and followed her into the house. He was quickly told to take off his shoes and was offered some homemade cookies which he accepted, after remembering to say please and thank you. And by remembering he means that his mother glared daggers until he did. The dads came inside as well, and started boring adult talk.

"So where's your daughter? I'd just love to meet her since I'm going to have one of my own pretty soon!" The moms laughed and smiled. Hugh's frown lessened, just a little. He kind of wanted to meet her too. He hadn't heard one peep from where she was supposed to be, upstairs, and he was becoming curious, as young children do.

"Mei's a shy little thing, she's probably up in her room. I'll call her down. MEI SWEETY!" Everyone was a little shocked at the voice on this woman. Hugh would've hated to be one of her kids when she got really mad. Speaking of kids, looking out the window he saw Kyohei. With the hose now in his pants. He pretended not to see that.

"_What?" _Came a small, muffled voice from upstairs.

"COME HERE PLEASE!" There was nothing for a moment, and everyone patiently watched the stairs. Finally, the sound of feet could be heard quickly padding down the steps. The young girl came into view when she had about five steps left. She had the same light colored brown hair as her mother, which was very long but hung loosely around her head and shoulders.

"What is it mom- _Ah!" _As soon as she saw the strangers in her house, the girl let out a small scream and fell down the remaining steps. But as quickly as she had appeared, she had picked herself up and scampered back up the stairs.

"Oh dear, I hope she's alright." Hugh's mother commented.

"I was hoping she wouldn't be so frightened, I'd better go check on her-"

"I'll go." Everyone was surprised to hear Hugh's confident voice. He'd said barely two words this entire time.

"Honey, I think this is a mommy moment."

"Oh no, that's fine. Maybe it'll help Mei make a new friend." The woman suggested. Hugh, for the first time all day, smiled and ran towards the stairs.

"Speaking of, what is taking that boy so long?" Hugh waited just long enough for Kyohei's mom to see him before heading upstairs. "KYOHEI CLYDE KUROSAKI WHAT IN ARCEUS' NAME ARE YOU DOING!"

Upstairs, Hugh began peeking into different rooms, trying to find which one looked most like a little girls'. First he found a bathroom full of boxes. Next, on the right side of the hallway, was a bedroom also full of boxes, some of which had been knocked over and toys now spilled out. The bedspread was full of dragon type Pokemon, and the room was in the process of being painted green. This, Hugh quickly realized, was Kyohei's room. The next room at the end of the hallway, on the right, had much fewer boxes inside and was bigger than the first. It was pretty boring so Hugh decided that it must be the parents' room. The last room was just across the hallway, and the door was slightly ajar.

Hugh quietly pushed it open, and stepped inside. The hardwood floor had been covered mostly by a light purple rug, which was super fuzzy, and though the walls were white, there were a couple paint cans in the room suggesting that it soon would be colorful. The bed here had at least ten pillows on it Hugh thought, all different colors, and then a few large stuffed Pokemon. There was an enormous Arcanine, a Togekiss, a Cottonee, and a Musharna. The bedspread was white with light blue and purple polka dots all over. There were boxes in here too, but a lot of them were empty already. A wooden dresser, which Hugh had passed on his way in, had clothes stacked on top of it and drawers open.

After a moment of looking around the room, Hugh began to wonder where in here the girl, Mei, could be. That was when he heard giggles. Looking to his left, Hugh saw a sliding door, probably going into a closet. Yellow light was visible coming from underneath it.  
>Suddenly Hugh felt nervous. Half of him wanted to run back downstairs, but the other half wanted to meet this girl in the closet. Slowly, he made his way towards the closet. After placing his hand on the knob, Hugh squeezed his eyes shut, then, threw the door open.<p>

When he opened them again, he was staring into huge blue eyes in a face red like tomatoes. The girl screeched, then dove into the corner and underneath a nearby blanket. Hugh, not knowing what to do, stared after her for a moment. The blanket was dark blue, his favorite, also the same color as his hair.

Hugh stepped inside, and closed the door. As he was about to sit down, he stepped on something hard that poked his foot. It was a little plastic Pokemon doll. There were two of them actually. A Zebstrika, and another one that he didn't recognize with a red mane and tail. The blue haired boy sat down and picked up the Zebstrika.

"Do you like Zebstrika?" He asked. The girl didn't answer, only shrinking further back into her corner. "Did you hurt yourself when you fell down the stairs?" Again she didn't answer. Hugh noticed that his face was beginning to heat up. He didn't want to say something and not get answered again. After huffing, then thinking for a moment, he found something else to say.

"That blanket is my favorite color you know." The ball of child shuffled, then peeked out from under the blanket. Finally, he was getting somewhere.

"You can't have it." She peeped. Hugh frowned, not understanding.

"I didn't ask."

"Kyohei wants it, and he always steals it from my room."  
>"Next time he does, <em>I<em> won't let him." The brunette laughed, and Hugh's face heated up again. He had only been annoyed that Kyohei was so... _boyish. _He hadn't meant to make the girl laugh.

"A-are you going to come out now?" She shook her head, but her face remained visible. After a couple minutes of silence, Hugh looked back down at the toys, and picked up the unfamiliar one. "What is this?" He asked.

"That's a Rapidash."

"What is it?"

"It's a Pokemon stupid."  
>"Hm." Hugh took each one in a different hand and had the two walk up to each other. After that though, he didn't know what to do. Other kids might've made them fight, but Hugh wasn't sure.<p>

"That's not how you play with them." Mei informed him.

"Well then how?"

"You have to know their names first."  
>"Fine. This one's Zeb, and that one's-"<p>

"They already have names stupid." Knowing the girl's tone as one of slight annoyance, Hugh sat back and watched as she finally came out from under the blanket and took the toys gently from the other child's hands. Her hair, hanging lankily around her, had become frizzy from being underneath the blanket. "Zebstrika's name is Stormo, and Rapidash's name is Valia." Now, the girl seemed proud to talk about her toys.

"How do you play with them?"

"They talk and play games and travel all over the region!" She explained happily, then held Stormo out to Hugh. "Here. You take Stormo." Hugh cautiously took the toy and held it on the ground. "Okay Stormo, let's go to Castelia City! _Niegh!" _The girl made what Hugh knew as a horse noise, then looked expectantly up at him.

"Uh, yeah, I hear they have really good ice cream!" Mei laughed. Hugh was terrified. The small blush on her face was nothing compared to the color he thought would be permanently there.

**10 Years Later**

_Tuesday, June 14th_

The ceiling was just as exciting as ever. I'd always wanted to do _something _with it, but that ridiculous bumpy exterior prevented that. Sighing I swung my legs around and over the side of my bed. I'd told Hugh that we should hang out today but he hadn't been over yet. It was only eleven in the morning, but I was still bored out of my mind.

Hugh and I, since the first day we had met, have been the best of friends. All the parents had assumed it'd be Kyohei he'd finally connect with, but Hugh wasn't like every other boy. He was Hugh. Over the years, we'd actually brought out the best in each other. I was nowhere near that shy little thing I'd been when we'd first moved to Aspertia City. Remembering that day, I smiled.

Nearly everything about me had changed since then, even my room was different. It was still painted light purple, which had been my favorite color then, but was now second to red. My entire bed had been switched out for a larger one, and maroon sheets and a comforter. I'd gotten plush, tan carpeting in my room, though that old rug was still somewhere in the house. My hair no longer hung around my shoulders like it used to, but now sat in two buns on top of my head with two long strands of hair which I let hang down. I still had all my pillows and stuffed Pokemon, plus all the ones I'd collected over the years. I would switch them out every couple months, but right now had out my homemade Aspertia pillow, a huge red fuzzy pillow, a Blissey stuffed Pokemon, and my favorite, a giant Arcanine.

Making my way across the room, I opened up the closet to search for something to wear. I was still in pajamas. The closet which I'd used to spend so much time in, playing with Hugh, still had pictures taped all over it, and some toys sitting in the back corner. Out of every place in the world, if I ever needed to be comforted, I would still sit in this closet with my Arcanine, and hopefully Hugh.

I picked out my favorite t-shirt, white with a pink Pokeball on the front and blue sleeves that went down about to my elbows, then my yellow shorts and black spandex that Kyohei would always make fun of. Thank Arceus he was gone now. Of course, I still found it unfair that he'd gotten a Pokemon before me and left on his journey, but I was supposed to get mine sometime this month.

After I was dressed I looked in the mirror to help me tie the bow of my bra/swimsuit. I wasn't sure what about the look of it I liked, but I thought that I looked absolutely stunning. I quickly readjusted one of my buns, then went downstairs.

"Where are you off too?"

"Where do you think mom?"

"I thought Hugh was coming over here today?" I shrugged and went to open the front door. "Not so fast, have you got your Xtransceiver?"

"_Moom,"_ I whined. She only gave me what I liked to call the Eyebrow. I rolled my eyes and ran back upstairs and grabbed the useful watch. Just as it was ringing too. Pressing the answer button, Kyohei's face popped up on the screen.

"What do want this time Kyohei, and if it's food, mom said we're not aloud to send you anymore." Kyohei made an annoyed face.

"No, _that's not what I'm going to ask for everytime I call Mei." _

"So what _do _you want?"

"_To show you this!" _Suddenly the ugliest thing I've ever seen was thrown into the screen.

"What the- Kyohei what is that?!" The fifteen year old pulled back the blue and yellow striped creature and looked at it, confused.

"_It's just a Dunsparce, what's wrong with him?" _

"Why would you show that to me, you know I hate bug types!"

"_He's not a bug type, he's a normal type genius."_ Kyohei sarcastically replied.

"Whatever, I don't like it, and I especially don't like you bragging to me about your newest Pokemon."

"_Well don't you want to hear about this _enormous _Leavanny that Burgh-"_ I hung up. Bug types creeped me out, and I had no interest in hearing about my brothers battle with the King of the Bugs. Once again, I ran downstairs, but this time I was stopped by my dad.

"Where're you off too sweetheart?"

"Just going to see Hugh."

"Ah, well don't be gone too long, your mom's got homemade mac and cheese in the oven!"

"That's great, will there be enough for four?"

"Sure will!"

"Thanks dad!" I leaned up and gave him a quick peck on the cheek then was finally out the door. As always, I tapped the top of the mailbox on my way out. Across the side was painted Kurosaki, our last name, and it was full of colorful doodles Hugh and I had painted onto it, and on the other side, we'd each painted each other. Of course they were only stick figures with exaggerated hair, but they were great memories.

I took in a deep breath of the sweet smelling air. Early summer was one of my favorite times in Aspertia City. It was warm, but a nice cool breeze always blew through. Everything was green, and everyone was having fun. On a day like this, I knew that Hugh wouldn't be in the house, so instead of stopping by the condo he lived in, I walked past it and towards Aspertia Park.

Sure enough, among all the little kids on the playground was Lucy, Hugh's nine year old sister, and of course Hugh was sitting on top of a nearby picnic table, watching her. That was one of the things I loved about him, he was so protective of the people he cared about most.

Hugh's Pokemon, Tepig, saw me before he did. Tepig was just about the most adorable thing in the world. I kneeled down and scratched the top of his head as a greeting.

"Well hello Tepig! How's my favorite little piggy doing today?" I nearly always talked to Tepig in that high pitched baby talk voice, but he absolutely loved it. I picked the small Pokemon up and he sneezed some small embers happily in my face for a response, his little tail wagging all the while.

"Do you _have _to talk to him like that?" I looked up to see Hugh staring down at us, an amused expression on his face. He wore his usual blue pants with his red and white jacket. I smiled back.

"Aw come on Qwilfish head, you know he loves it!"

"Yeah bun head, but he's a boy, and not a baby." I climbed up onto the plastic picnic table and sat beside Hugh.

"Kyohei called me again today." I lied down on the picnic table, looking up into the blue, cloudless sky. Hugh's expression was a bit hard to read. He'd never liked Kyohei all that much, but he was still my brother and Hugh tried to get along with him for the most part.

"Yeah, and what did he want?" Hugh asked, lying down next to me.

"Just to show me the ugliest worm creature I ever did see." We turned our heads to look at each other, Hugh with an eyebrow up. "I guess it's called a Dunsparce." The bluenette broke out into laughter.

"You are so judgmental," He told me smiling.

"What, it was hideous!" I felt a twinge of electricity shoot up through my hand as Hugh and I's hands brushed. Beautifly filled my gut, and my face grew a little red.

Oh yeah, I guess this would be useful information. I have an enormous crush on my best friend. Don't make me feel any guiltier about than I already do. I don't have the courage to do anything about it, and I don't really want to either. If Hugh rejected me... I don't know what I'd do. And after that, what we already have would be ruined.

Want to know why my favorite color changed from purple to red? Because that's the color of Hugh's eyes. I thought about blue when I was nine, navy blue, because that was the color of his hair, but it seemed a bit too obvious. Why my toy Rapidash and Zebstrika still sit on my dresser to this day? Because they were what Hugh and I first bonded over. I could go on and on with all the little bits and pieces of my crush and our relationship, but I won't bore you with the details.

"So have you heard anything about your Pokemon yet?"

"Unfortunately, no." I sat up straight, running my hands down my legs. "I'm not sure how much longer I can wait Hugh." The slightly older boy sat up next to me and plopped a little fire type down in my lap.

"Well, until you get a partner of your own, you have Tepig." I smiled as Tepig jumped up and nuzzled me. "And me of course." I blushed a little, and thought about leaning up against Hugh. He probably wouldn't think much of it, but decided not to anyways.

"Hugh, Mei!" We both looked down and saw little Lucille running up to us. While Hugh had his mother's blue hair and grandmother's red eyes, Lucille had her father's dark, dark brown hair and her mother's eyes. Each one, just like her mother, was a different color. One a very light green, and the other was hazel brown.

"Hey Lucy!"

"I heard you guys talking about your Pokemon,"

"Luc, what did mom say about listening to other people's conversations?" I smiled down at the ground. No one ever expects Hugh to be so brotherly, what with his intimidating looks and all. Lucy scrunched up her nose.

"Don't do that or you'll get arrested." Hugh looked at her a bit confused but amused at the same time.

"Ah, I guess it was something along those lines."

"Anyways-"

_Briiing! Briiing! _The device on my wrist began to vibrate and ring.

"Oh, sorry you guys, I'd better answer this, it's my mom."

"It's fine Mei." Hugh told me.

"Please don't do something weird." I begged them. Both shrugged with Lucy hardly containing a smile. Yeah, I knew what was coming.  
>"Hi mo-"<p>

"_Heeey Mrs. Kurosaki!" _Both Hugh and Lucy shoved their faces into the camera, singing out of tune but in unison.

"_Well hi there you guys!"_ I faked being annoyed and pushed down little Lucy's head and shoved Hugh's face away.

"Hey mom," I said, laughing a little.

"_Okay honey, I know you're going to freak out when I say this, so please just keep it to a minimum, but Professor Juniper just called me-"_ My eyes went huge and I jumped onto the bench of the picnic table.

"REALLY OH MY GOD IS THIS WHAT I THINK IT IS!?" My mother took her hands away from her ears and answered.

"_Um, yes?" _

"YES I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS FINALLY HAPPEN-" Kids, never dance on a picnic table bench like an idiot in public. It won't end well. At least it didn't for me. I'm not the most graceful person around, and I fell backwards and landed between the bench and the table.

"_Mei, are you alright?!"_ My mom yelled into the Xtransceiver.

"You okay Mei?" Hugh asked, offering me a hand. I blushed again, and took it. Hugh works out, so he easily pulled me out of that tight spot.

"_Mei sweetie, are you there?" _

"Yeah, I'm here. So you were saying?" I eagerly sat onto the picnic table, the proper way, and looked towards my mother in the small screen.

"_Right, so my old friend Professor Juniper called today, as we've been expecting, she's sent you a Pokedex and your very own Pokemon!" _

"Eeek!" I grinned and stomped my feet, unable to contain my excitement. I even knew what Pokemon I was going to choose!

"_She's sent her assistant by the name of Bianca, and I was told that you should look for blonde hair and a big green hat. Got it?" _Something about that name tugged at my brain, and I took a moment to think about why that might be.

"Hey, didn't White have a friend who's name was Bianca?" White, one of the legendary heros of Unova and the legendary dragon Zekrom's master, wasn't just a short little bundle of attitude. She was also my cousin. Visiting her, you were bound to see one of her best friends, whose names I couldn't quite remember but whose faces I couldn't forget. It'd been about two or three years since I'd seen any of them, and two since the events caused by Team Plasma and the unforgettable N. Also two years since anyone had seen N or White in person.

She'd fallen in love with him, and of course that had lead to her leaving to find him barely a month after he'd gone. But I didn't blame her one bit. I'd seen White once after N left. It hadn't been good. She hadn't known what to do with her heartbroken self. White had never been very good with dealing with her emotions, ever since her dad had died in a shipwreck. Finding N would always be the one thing that could save her from falling apart completely.

Anyways, back to my point, I was almost sure Bianca was one of White's close friends.

"_Hm... I'm not really sure, the name does sound familiar... Well, I suppose you'll find out once you see her. Remember, blonde hair, big green hat."_

"I will mom."

"_And be sure to come straight home after you meet your new partner, I want to see him or her as soon as possible!" _

"Course mom! Love you, bye!"

"_Love you too sweetheart!" _I hung up the phone and instantly jumped up.

"Mmm!" I barely contained a scream of excitement. "I'm finally getting a Pokemon!"

"Great!" Hugh jumped in, also standing. "Now I finally have something to do around here!" We laughed again. "I'll help you find this Bianca lady Mei, we just need to take Luc home first."

"I don't need to go home, I'm a big girl Hugh!"

"Not big enough, mom wants you home by noon for lunch." Lucy puffed out her cheeks and blushed, but jumped down from the picnic table and ran over to say goodbye to her friends.

I bit my lip as the silence between Hugh and I became awkward. I quickly came up with something to say, but of course it had to be the most stupid thing I could've said.

"You know, you don't _have _to come with me Hugh." _Uuugh_. Suddenly the slightly older teenager had placed one of his large hands atop my head.

"Don't be stupid Mei, of course I do." Hugh walked away then, ushering his sister along. I blushed. Hugh didn't have to say anymore than that, I knew what he meant. We were best friends, and that's what best friends were like, weren't they?

"Come on Mei, let's not keep the Professor's assistant waiting!"

"Uh," I took a quick glance around, breaking away from the small trance I had been in. "Coming!" The three of us walked back to the Oakleys condo together, with Hugh giving Lucy a piggy back ride most of the way there. Just outside the large building, Hugh let his sister down and began to open up the door for her to enter, but she stopped him before he could close it.

"Luc?" Hugh asked her. The nine year old wasn't looking at her brother though, but at me, with a distressing look on her face.

"Mei..." I knelt down to the small girl's level.

"What's wrong Lucy?" She gulped, and suddenly looked much older than any child ever should.

"When you get your Pokemon, take really, _really _good care of him, okay?" Lucy sounded truly distressed, as if she wasn't sure I would be able to care for my Pokemon? No, that wasn't it. But the anguish upon her face was unmistakable.

I looked to Hugh for some sort of answer, but he was completely focused on his sister, red eyes holding a sort of melancholy, yet also a burning rage that I was only slightly familiar with. Hugh was fiercely protective of those close to him, and anyone threatening those people would pay for it dearly.

"Yeah..." Hugh added.

"Uh, of course Lucy. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you, or my new partner." Lucille smiled, a sad, sort of relieved smile, then went inside and left Hugh and I alone.

"You know Mei, I'm really glad that you're going to get a partner of your own." Hugh knelt down to pick up Tepig, who'd obediently followed us home. He gently stroked the fire type's head, who nuzzled Hugh's shoulder affectionately. It made me a little sad. "There's something I really need to do, and to accomplish it, I need someone who I can really count on. Someone like you."

I wanted more than anything to ask what that something was, why it was so important. But I knew better. Every once in a while, Hugh, and the rest of his family, would fall into a tragic mood. They would stay inside. They wouldn't talk with anyone else. Hugh would avoid me for the most part. Even Tepig seemed more skittish than usual. This was that same sort of mood Hugh would get into, that sad anger. I had a feeling that this something he needed to accomplish had something to do with it. But whenever I'd asked Hugh about it before, he'd get defensive, even angry. I couldn't stand it when Hugh was upset with me. So I'd learned to live with it.

"So what are we standing around here for, let's go get your Pokemon!" Suddenly that moment was gone, and my best friend was back. He took my hand and began dragging me down the street, past the friendly people of Aspertia, all of which laughed to see the two of us running together, just as we had when we'd been children.

The first place we went past was the brand new Aspertia City Pokemon Gym, which both Hugh and I were thrilled about. Construction had been completed just last week, and it would also be serving as a school for young trainers. Of course Hugh and I weren't planning on going for that last reason, but to challenge whatever Gym Leader would be coming to our new city. Next we passed the Pokemon Center, big and orange as always. I couldn't wait to finally have a good reason to go inside.

As the two of us came near to the gate leading out of the city and onto Route 19, I began to wonder where on Earth this Bianca character could be. I was terrified that somehow, she would never show up, and I would never get to go on my journey.

When I was younger, I'd always wondered what the big deal about going on a journey was. I knew that a Pokemon would be a loyal friend and protector, so that was cool enough, but having them fight other Pokemon, being away from your home and family and friends, and having to take care of yourself all the time? It had never appealed to me very much, until I'd heard my parents, Hugh, and even Kyohei talking about it like nothing in the world could ever make them happier. Now, it seemed like the best idea in the world.

"Where on Earth is this lady?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips and taking another look around.

"I don't know, but- Hey, why don't we check the Outlook?"

"The Outlook?" I asked. "You think she'd be up there?" Aspertia City Outlook was our biggest attraction, at least until the Gym would be finished, and it was also one of the most beautiful spots in the city. It looked over miles and miles of forest, you could even see part of Floccesy Town and the nearby ranch!

"Is there anywhere else we haven't looked?" I shrugged my shoulders, then began walking towards the huge staircase that lead up to the outlook. It took about ten minutes for the two of us to run up the stairs; they went up higher than almost every building in Aspertia.

Up at the very top, my breath, already gone from the walk up, was kept away even longer. The woman described by the Professor, green hat and blonde hair, was standing in front of the railing, looking out over the small mountain and forest.

"Wow, it's sooo pretty!" I quietly walked up beside her, and she, with big, wide green eyes, turned to look at me, smiling sweetly. "Don't you agree?" I couldn't speak. It was mostly the whole Pokemon thing, but also this girl was incredibly nice and I totally recognized her as one of White's friends. What was I supposed to say to her knowing that she'd lost one of her best friends?

Bianca wore an orange, puffy jacket with a white V neck and a black tank underneath that. She also wore green capris and orange hiking shoes and had a small green purse with the strap slung across her shoulder. Her green hat had a white bow on it and she wore a pair of red glasses, though they had no lenses in them and I never remembered her having them before. Plus they totally clashed with her overall green and orange look.

"Uh, yeah! It's especially beautiful in the autumn, when all the leaves change color." The woman, a couple years older than I, turned to look back over the land.

"Hm... I'll bet." I almost didn't want to disrupt her thoughts, as she seemed very focused on them. Almost.

"So, are you Bianca?"

"Hm? Oh, yes! I am Bianca! Currently also the assistant of Professor Juniper! You wouldn't happen to know where a girl who goes by the name of Mei might be would you?" If real life was a cartoon, I'm pretty sure I would've sweat dropped.

"Um, yeah actually-"

"Great! Would you mind pointing her out to me?"

"Actually, I'm Mei, the girl you're going to be giving a Pokemon too." Bianca cocked her head and looked at me a bit perplexed for a moment, before her face lit up.

"Well of course you are! I should've known! The resemblance to your brother is uncanny!"  
>"Um, thanks?"<p>

"Hows Kyohei doing by the way?"

"Well, uh, he just caught a Dunsparce."

"Great, great!"

"So um, Bianca-"

"Yes?" She asked, with a bit much enthusiasm I might add.

"You wouldn't happen to know White would you?" Her eyes grew a bit wider than usual, and her smile faded.

"Yes. Who wouldn't. Everyone knows what happened you know."

"I-" I felt guilty suddenly, for dampening Bianca's childlike spirits. "Well, she's my cousin, and I just sort of remembered seeing you at some point."

"Oh. Then yeah, she was one of my best friends. Do you miss her as much as I do?" I was unprepared for the question. I hadn't been super close with White, only seen her once, in three years.

"Yeah." But what else was I to say? Bianca smiled sadly.

"You look a lot like her you know. Big blue eyes, brown hair. And I'm sure you'll be a great trainer, just like she was- I-I mean is." It was silent for a moment. "Sorry. Sometimes it's hard to remember that she's still... well, you know." I nodded.

"Well, let's get done with all that sad stuff shall we?" Just as Bianca had just said, all the sadness thankfully lifted off. "Again, I'm Bianca, and I'm so pleased to meet you!"

"Ah, me too!" I added, both of us smiling.

"As you probably already know, I have a really important request to ask of you!" _Here come the Butterfree!_ I thought to myself, hopping up and down and biting my lip with anticipation. "Will you, Mei Kurosaki, help us complete the Pokedex?"

I didn't even wait to answer, instead replying "Totally!" before Bianca had even finished saying Pokedex.

"Well thank you Ms. Eager Pants! Your support will definitely help Professor Juniper's research a whole lot! And it's super fun filling up the Pokedex as well! Okay then, I guess we'd better get to the fun part huh?" Bianca pulled a cylindrical, object out from her purse, and held it with two hands out in front of her. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears, and licked my suddenly dry lips.

"_Ta-daaa!" _

The case opened with a click, and steam poured out as the top opened. It was like something out of a sci fi movie. Three brand new Pokeballs, so shiny that I could see my amazed reaction in all three of them, were there before me, each with a small label laid out in front of it.

"Woah." Hugh stated, suddenly beside me. I barely even noticed him.

"Whichever Pokemon you choose will be your partner, so choose carefully kiddo!" I gulped and nodded, then reached a shaking hand out towards the middle Pokemon, then back again. _Which one was I going to choose again?_

"Weren't you going to pick Snivy?" Hugh whispered to me. _Shoot. _I thought to myself, making sure that I'd said that in my head this time.

"_Pig?" _Little Tepig curiously stood up on two legs, trying to get a sniff at Bianca. Finally, I gained the courage to reach out and grab the capsule on the far left, the one containing the grass type Pokemon. I only had to press the middle button softly, but a flash of blue energy appeared, taking the form of the familiar grass snake Pokemon.

The Pokemon appeared just over my head, and I quickly held up my arms and caught the small creature in my arms. It opened up it's amber eyes to look at me.

"_Sni?" _

"I-I choose Snivy!" The grass type immediately lit up into a grin, jumping at my face and attempting to wrap it's small arms around me in a hug. I laughed, falling backwards and right onto my butt.

"Haha, she's adorable!"

"_He_ totally is," Bianca corrected. "Wow, you're so much like your cousin, choosing Snivy and everything!" I looked at Snivy again, grinning. I was happy that this guy was going to be less of a hassle than White's Snivy-with-an-attitude had been, but even more happy to get a Snivy. Choosing Snivy was kind of a tradition in our family, my mom had chosen one, White's dad had chosen Snivy, as had White, and now me.

"I'll bet you two will be perfect together!" Bianca added, clapping her hands together. Tepig jumped up onto me, sniffing his new friend. Snivy became a jealous when he did so, especially when I pat his head, but thankfully didn't do anything but give the fire type a dirty look.

After Tepig jumped down, Hugh helped me up and I allowed Snivy to stay in my arms as I gently stroked his head. He even began to purr. It was freaking adorable.

"I think I'll call you Boa!" I announced to no one in particular.

"_Snivee!" _The starter Pokemon squealed with joy.

"At least you gave him a halfway decent nickname." Hugh commented, earning him a small punch in the shoulder, and a few laughs from the both of us.

"Well I think it's a great name!" Bianca told us in her happy go lucky manner. "Anyways, since you've got your Pokemon now, I'll give you this too!" The blonde handed me a small, pink, square device which, after pressing a button, unfolded itself. The blank screen lit up, and I held it towards Tepig first, then pressed another button.

"_Tepig, the fire pig Pokemon. __It loves to eat roasted berries, but sometimes it gets too excited and burns them to a crisp." _

"Neat!" I said, then used the device on Boa.

"_Snivy the grass snake Pokemon. Being exposed to sunlight makes its movements swifter. Snivy uses vines more adeptly than its hands." _

"So all you have to do is travel around using the Pokedex, visit lots of places, and meet all the Pokemon in Unova!"

"Sounds great!" I replied, barely listening as I was playing with Boa.

"Hey, wait a second, I want a Pokedex too!" Hugh exclaimed suddenly.

"Hm? You want a Pokedex too? Wait, who are you again?"

"I'm Hugh Oakley, Mei's best friend and soon to be rival, and I want to be the best trainer that I can possibly be, and that means getting my own Pokedex, and becoming that much stronger! So, if you can, could I please have a Pokedex of my own Ms. Bianca?" Hugh asked kindly, mustering up all the sweet childness Hugh could.

Bianca looked away for a moment, looking quite thoughtful, then turned back towards us, smiling. "Well, I suppose that's alright! The more people we have helping us with our research, the better! You're just lucky that I happen to have an extra Pokedex with me today!" Bianca handed Hugh his own red Pokedex, which he immediately used on Tepig and Boa. Then, he turned to me, grinning, and eyes ablaze.

"You ready Mei?!" He excitedly asked of me.

"Ready for what?" Hugh put an arm around my shoulder, laughing.

"A little dense today, are we Kurosaki?" I looked at Hugh, giving him the eyebrow. "We need to have a Pokemon battle, duh! I'm going to be your very first opponent!"

"_Te-piig!" _The little fire type jumped out in front of his trainer, shooting embers from his snout.

"I don't know Hugh, Boa and I-"

"Oh come on Mei, don't be a party pooper! I'd love to see how you and Boa do during your first battle!" Both Bianca and Hugh stared at me expectantly. I gulped but nodded.

"Awesome! Get ready you two!"

"Okay Boa, do your thing," I said nervously, allowing the young grass starter to jump down from my arms and into the space of the concrete outlook. Hugh and I both backed up to either side to allow enough room for the two to duke it out.

"Alright Mei, since you're the rookie trainer, you get the first move." I nodded again, then checked the Pokedex to find out that Boa knew only two moves, Tackle and Leer.

"Okay, so I guess I just command you to do one of these... Um, Boa, use Tackle." The grass snake Pokemon ran at Tepig, who easily dodged the attack.

"Use Ember Tepig!"

"Get out of there Boa!" Snivy, being as new as I was to all of this, couldn't escape the attack and sustained serious damage. Of course, I wasn't expecting any sort of win. Hugh had raised Tepig for years, since he'd been an egg, and though they hadn't battled much together, both were still much more experienced than Boa and I.

"Are you alright sweetie!?" I cried. Boa stood shakily from the ground, with a serious burn on his right shoulder. I gasped at the sight of the pain he was in. "U-use Leer!" Snivy lowered the opposing Pokemon's defense, but when Hugh commanded a second Ember attack, I knew that we were through.

I ran out to my already unconscious Pokemon, scooping him from the ground and cradling him in my arms.

"Oh, you poor thing. We'll get you to the Pokemon Center right away Boa, just you wait. HUGH!" I yelled.

"You were great Mei, even though you lost, that was great for your first time!"  
>"Hugh, look what you did to Boa!" I scolded.<p>

"What?! We were battling!"

"Yeah, but you should've gone easy on us! I've never done anything like this before, and Boa's just a baby!"

"He is not just a baby-"

"You just-" We began yelling at each other, like we sometimes do. No friendship is perfect, and Hugh and I actually argue like this a lot. Neither of us noticed Bianca until she finally raised her voice and stepped between us.

"Hey now you two, quit your cat fight! We need to get this little guy to the Pokemon Center asap, alright?" The two of us blushed a little, but mumbled in agreement.

As we walked though, Hugh, after returning Tepig to his Pokeball, fell into step beside me, and awkward as it was, the large hand he put on my shoulder was just as comforting as it always was. _This, _I thought to myself. _Is going to be amazing. I can not wait to see what happens next! _

_Tuesday, June 14th_

**I don't think I have ever written a chapter this long. Ever. And hopefully never again. I loved it and everything, it was just too dang long. These chapters should be about the same length as the ones in all my other stories, so don't you guys worry! Anyways, please give me ideas for a new name for this story, and tell me what you thought about the first chapter! Thanks for reading everyone! **


	2. Chapter 2

**I am so psyched to finally be writing this story, I mean I love the Pokemon I have picked out for Mei's team, I actually used all of them when I played Black 2, and it's just the absolute best! Also, I've already gotten my first reviewer here! So thanks Sakura Touko, I appreciate it very much!**

**One more reminder, this is kind of a filler chapter. Boring, I know. Sorry.  
>I don't own Pokemon!<strong>

Chapter 2: Yeah I'm Sorry We're Still Stuck In Aspertia... And I Still Suck At Names

_Tuesday, June 14th_

I was still waiting for my Pokemon to be healed. With every passing minute I grew more and more worried. Hugh was standing beside me, silently. While he was leaning casually on the counter, out of the way so other trainers could get their Pokemon healed, I was pacing back and forth nervously.

"What if there were complications?" I asked suddenly, whirling around to look at Hugh. When one of my long strands of hair fell into my face, I impatiently pushed it back into place. Hugh raised one of his eyebrows and looked at me, smiling playfully. I praised Arceus that my cheeks were already flushed. Why was I noticing all these little things now? In this situation!?

"What kind of complications?" Hugh recoiled calmly.

"I don't know," I replied, waving off the conversation, then I began to pace again. After a moment, I spoke up again, even more urgently. "What if Tepig melted Snivy's face off!" Tepig, who was on the floor lying on top of Hugh's foot, scoffed.

"Not that it's your fault little guy, but Boa could be in there right now, getting his molten face reassembled, piece by piece!" I held my hands up to my mouth, terrified that the disturbing image in my mind would become a reality. "I have to go back there right now!"

"Not so fast Kurosaki," Just as I began to march towards the door leading into the room where Nurse Joy and the resident Audino would heal their patients, Hugh wrapped one of his long muscled arms around my waist to drag me back. He hadn't originally realized how serious I'd been, so when I struggled against his grip, the teen had to add his other arm. This time, he easily brought me back to his side. "Boa is fine, you've just got to be patient." I continued to uselessly struggle against Hugh's grip.

"You don't know that!" I argued. Hugh rolled his eyes, but began to become truly frustrated when I once again tried to push my way into the back room.

"Mei- ur, come on Mei, stop it! Cut it out!" As I squirmed my way out of Hugh's grip, succeeding in stepping on both his foot and Tepig's tail, my best friend since childhood released me, but only momentarily. He quickly got a better grip around my waist, gaining some good leverage and completely lifting me up off of the ground then planting my own feet firmly in front of him. Hugh then looked me straight in the eye, his huge red eyes unreadable to even me. I waited, astonished, for him to speak, but Hugh never got the chance.

"Mei?" Nurse Joy asked politely from behind the desk, smiling as if she was puzzled by what was going on between us. She didn't bother using my last name, I knew this particular Joy too well.

"Uh," I quickly reassembled the lost pieces of my mind, my cheeks regaining their original pale color, only just beginning to tan in the early summer. "Ye-yes? Is Boa alright?!" The nurse, in her cute pink scrubs, smiled kindly.

"He's perfectly fine Mei, just a little tired is all."

"So he's gonna be alright?"

"Yes Mei, just give the little guy some little time to chill out. There's no need to worry sweety, this is completely normal for any Pokemon who battles!" Nurse Joy went to reassure me. "Especially one this young and inexperienced. Within just a couple hours, your Snivy will be fine." I nodded, much more comforted now that Nurse Joy had convinced me of Boa's well being.

"Can I see him?"  
>"Of course! Audino, could you bring Boa?" I could hear the generous pink Pokemon call to Nurse Joy from somewhere in the back room. Just a few moments later, the normal type came through the door, smiling, while holding a small green body, tightly curled up in a ball. I sighed in relief, gently taking the Pokemon from Audino's arms and cradling him in mine.<p>

"Aw, Boa." I whispered, placing the ghost of a kiss atop his head. I felt a large hand on my shoulder, and heard Hugh's quiet, husky voice next to my ear, sending involuntary shivers up and down my spine.

"I told you he'd be alright." I could feel the heat rise in my cheeks, and rubbed my ear up against my shoulder, trying to rid myself of that in my ear feeling. Hugh chuckled when I did so, as I nudged his head away, the curls of his blue hair tickling the side of my face.

"Well aren't you two adorable!" Bianca, who'd been shopping at the in Center store, suddenly appeared. Hugh and I shushed her, and Bianca quietly apologized, seeing Boa in my arms. "Sorry guys," She whispered. "Gosh, he's just the cutest thing ever!" Bianca lightly stroked the grass type's head, and he shifted slightly. "Well, I've got to get going you guys, it was so nice to meet you both! Remember to talk to your parents before you leave on your journeys, and good luck!"

"Bye Bianca,"

"See you." Hugh and I said our farewells, then Bianca, with her childlike bouncy walk, left the Center. After she was gone, Hugh gently elbowed me.

"Come on, I'll take the two of you home." I nodded, following after Hugh as he left the building and returned Tepig to his Pokeball.

I had nearly forgot how early it still was in the day, and the sunshine blinded me momentarily when I stepped outside. I silently wished that I had brought my visor with me.

"_Sni,"_ Boa shifted in my lap and squeezed his eyes shut even tighter when the light shone down on him. I took in a small breath, not wanting to wake the starter Pokemon, and tucked him further into my chest, trying to protect him from the sunlight.

"You hungry?" Hugh asked, falling into step beside me. I didn't have to answer; my stomach did it for me. I giggled, only a little embarrassed. Hugh smiled lopsidedly, putting his hands into his pockets.

"Why don't we stop at Hiougi's for some linner?" Hiougi's Cafe, owned by Andy Rickertti, a.k.a Hiougi (he's kept the origins of his nickname a secret all these years), is Hugh and I's favorite restaurant in all of Aspertia. Hiougi is a good friend of really everyone, especially Hugh and I. When we were younger, if our parents would go out on the same nights leaving no one to watch the two of us (this happened much more often than you'd think), Hiougi would babysit. We go there all the time, and the food is nearly always on the house. Sometimes I am baffled by how Hiougi stays open with all the free food he gives out.

"I'd love to Hugh, but I'd like to get Boa here home."  
>"Right, right, well, I guess I'll see you tonight for the feast. You know, to celebrate."<p>

"Sounds good to me!"

"Awesome!" After a few more minutes and some small talk between Hugh and I, we arrived at my red brick house. I stopped at the gate in the white fence, in need of a new coat of white paint. I must've forgotten to close it, as the gate hung open, wobbling just a little in the wind.

"Well, see you tonight Hugh."

"You too." I watched as Hugh turned away, and began walking down Blossom Street, towards his condo. As if he'd known I'd been looking, Hugh turned his head back towards me, and grinned. I was a bit surprised for a moment, then smiled back, waving as Hugh continued on his way.

Boa sighed in his sleep, and I carefully readjusted his position in my arms, making my way inside the house while watching the small creature lovingly.

I heard a small intake of breath, a gasp, and saw my mother, in her apron with her hair neatly tied up in a bun. "Oh my," She quietly walked across the room. "How cute." She smiled, and stroked Boa's long head The grass type squirmed, but kept his eyes closed.

"I finally got my wish." My mother put her slender hand on my shoulder.

"Finally." We sat on the couch waiting for my dad to get home from work, talking about everything I needed to pack for my upcoming journey. By the time he did, Boa was awake and walking around, enjoying the attention from myself and my mother.

"Hello hello!"

"Dad!" I exclaimed, jumping up from my position on the couch and rushing over to my father, where I nearly tackled him in a hug. My dad isn't so big, and I was just about the same size as he was.  
>"Nice to see someone who's happy to see me!" He planted a sloppy kiss on my cheek, and when my father turned to kiss my mother I wiped it away. "Well who's this cute little fella?" Boa had trotted up to my dad, expecting to be scratched underneath the chin, which he was.<p>

"He's my new partner Pokemon!" I told him proudly.

"Ah, so you chose Snivy?"

"Yeah, his name is Boa." Boa came back over to me, begging to be held, and I complied, cradling the grass type like a baby in my arms.

"Well what a cutie. So what are you two planning on for your big going away feast Mei?"

"Hugh invited all of us over." I replied casually. Our two families eat together all the time.

"Dana and I have been planning this for so long," My mother clasped her hands together, more than excited for the upcoming feast. "I feel almost like it's not happening," She wrapped her arms around me from behind, playfully tugging on my hair strands. "My little baby girl, ready to leave home all on her own."  
>"<em>Mooom<em>," I whined, laughing a little. "I'll be fine, I've got Boa with me, and Hugh too, at least until we get to Virbank City."

"I know, I know. Now, both of you need to help me bring these dishes over." Mom quickly made her way into the kitchen, pulling on the oven gloves and expertly taking a rectangular dish full of something with a fragrance which was like walking into a five star restaurant kitchen. She handed it to my father, who only had one oven glove on and nearly dropped the thing. Then mom grabbed a bowl full of bacon and cheese dip from the fridge and handed it to me. She herself grabbed another few items, then we headed out the door. Boa, who I'd set down just a few moments earlier, followed eagerly, upset that he was having to walk.

Of course, the condo was just at the end of Blossom Street, and a little to the left down Bridge Avenue. I was carrying the least amount of things, so I went to open the door myself. My mother of course though, scolded me and motioned for me to press the doorbell. After a roll of the eyes, I did as she wanted, and waited. I heard a woman calling on the other side of the door, then Dana Oakley opened up the door.

She was middle aged, but still a bit older than my own mother, in her late thirties or early forties. Hugh had gotten his navy blue hair from his mother, but unlike his Qwilfish hair, Dana's was very smooth and wavy, coming down about to her shoulders. She had kind eyes, each a different color like Lucille's. Her right eye was a light, pea green, and the other was a hazel brown. She really was a beautiful woman, even with a few lines appearing on her nearly always smiling face.

"Well hello everyone! Come on in!" We came into the the living room and removed our shoes, placing them on the shoe rack to our left. I smelled baked goods coming from inside the kitchen.

Hugh's house is practically my second home. The living room is quite large, with an enormous black leather couch facing a flat screen television. The whole house has wood floors, with a few nice rugs here and there. An oak wood coffee table with a glass top sits in front of the couch. Dana is a bit of a neat freak, so the only thing sitting on the table at the moment was the TV remote and a pile of cup coasters. Various pictures cover the walls, with Dana, Chris (Hugh's dad), Hugh, Lucy, the family Pokemon and all sorts of different combinations of the five. I'm in a few of them, as are my parents, one even has Kyohei in it, and also a few relatives of the Oakleys.

I followed my mother and Dana into the kitchen, where I set down the bowl of dip, my mom set down the random kitchen things she was holding, and my father set down the dish of what I now recognized was mac and cheese. Boa, who had climbed up onto a chair, was now making his way up onto the table.

"No Pokemon on the table," Dana scolded. She may be kind, but she has rules. She picked up the embarrassed Pokemon and set him on the ground, patting his head. "Now here's a little something to tide you over until dinner." The blue haired woman took a small Poffin out of the jar she always kept treats for the Pokemon in, and handed it to the starter Pokemon. Usually, Pokemon only like specific Poffins, but Dana makes them in such a way that I've never seen a Pokemon turn one of her Poffins away.

Boa sniffed the light blue treat with orange sprinkles over the top, then smiled and cried out in joy as he consumed the food.

Not even a minute later, a small head cloaked in black poked out from behind the marble top counter. It sniffed, not being able to see very well, then snapped at Boa. The grass type fell over in surprise and watched in horror as Deino ate up his treat.

"Deino!" Dana chided once more. I giggled watching the dragon Pokemon sniff at Boa, who was terrified of the thing. "What a glutton," She mumbled, nudging Deino away who slumped over depressingly in his dark blue plush Pokemon bed.

"Everyone's here," Chris, wearing his usual worn jeans and plain t-shirt, strode into the kitchen. His dark brown hair was cut very short and neatly, and his equally brown eyes appeared lazy. Chris, Hugh's father, was a relatively quiet man, not emotional, not very exciting, but a good man. I wasn't very close with him like I was with Dana. Beside him followed a Pokemon that Chris was raising. He was always raising something, it was a hobby of his, though he never really left town except to go to Flocessy. Right now, it was Timburr. Timburr is a relatively mischievous thing, and recently had provided the family with plenty of stories to tell about the fight type who was destroying their home at a steady pace. Timburr was without his log and had a sour look on his face, meaning that he had just gotten into trouble and had his log taken away as punishment.

"Food will be ready in about half an hour sweety," Dana told him. The man nodded, then went to silently help out his wife. When I looked down again, Timburr was standing tall in front of Boa, sizing him up. Boa was quite unsure of this, and began tapping on my leg in order to get away from all these new faces.

"Mei!" Lucy came bounding down the stairs. Her hair was kind of a mess, but it just made her that much more adorable. She was wearing a dark yellow sundress, probably tugged over the girl's hair by her mother for the special occasion.

"Hey Luc!" Lucy ran over towards me, slipping on the wooden floor in her socks.

"_Swoo-woo!" _The family Pokemon, and Dana's long time Pokemon partner, Swoobat, flew down the stairs after Lucy. As he glided past us, he gently grabbed at her hair, giving the young girl what looked like a cow lick, and making her erupt into giggles as she chased after the psychic flying type.

Lucy nearly ran into her mother, carrying a tray of deviled eggs, who once again scolded them. "Calm down you two, you'll be eating soon."

"Kay mom," Lucy replied, not really listening, instead following the obedient Swoobat into the living room. Boa had taken to hiding behind my leg. I scooped him up, to which he had no complaints, until I brought him to meet Lucy and Swoobat.

When Lucy saw the starter Pokemon, she gasped, grinning wildly and quickly adjusting herself on the couch so that she could safely hold him. "You got a Snivy!" She exclaimed, as I placed a struggling Boa on her lap. Lucy got a gentle death grip on him though, preventing him from escaping.

"Yep, his name is Boa, and he's a bit nervous meeting all of you at once, so be nice to him, kay Lucy?"

"Okay," She replied, beginning to very gently pet Boa's head. Lucy had always been so gentle with Pokemon, whereas other kids would pull on their ears and tails and terrify the poor things. Sometimes, she seemed almost nervous around them, always trying to gain their trust and not get hurt. Boa easily accepted Lucy's affection, and settled into her lap.

I smiled at the two of them, so quickly friends, then looked up to see Hugh doing the same. He must've come downstairs fairly quickly and quietly, saving me the trouble of having to go look for him. He saw me staring at him, and I smiled to hide the little color that appeared. He only stared at me in return. Before I could ask what was wrong, Tepig had jumped up onto the couch to try and steal some of the attention that Lucy was giving to Boa.

Boa immediately retaliated, shoving the other Pokemon off of the girl's lap.

"Boa!" I said. Tepig had jumped back up, ready to attack himself. Hugh saw it coming before I did.

The teenager snatched his Pokemon by the tail, nearly throwing Tepig at himself. The Ember attack came down straight onto his leg. The next couple minutes went by almost in a blur.

Boa and Lucy both shrieked in surprise, with Lucille instinctively pulling her legs in close to her and away from the flames, taking Boa protectively in her arms. Tepig screeched, more from surprise as well than the pain of being yanked like that.

"Ah!" Hugh gave a short yell, falling backwards and onto the hard floor. Tepig squealed and ran off somewhere. I barely even heard the gasps come from the adults in the kitchen, I was immediately by Hugh's side, propping him up.

"Hugh, are you alright!?" The bluenette didn't answer, only reaching towards his left leg. The adults were beginning to rush over, but I was already investigating the injury. There was a hole singed into the dark jeans Hugh was wearing. They appeared brand new, probably something his mom had made him wear, something at least somewhat nice besides just the black t-shirt.

The burned skin on his thigh was red, and already starting to peel. Not as bad as I had expected thankfully.

"I'm fine-" Hugh insisted, sitting up.

"Stay put sweetie," Dana told her son. "Chris, go get me a wet washcloth."

"Is Lucy alright?" So Hugh.

"I'm okay." Lucy replied in a small voice, staring wide eyed at her brother from the couch, still clutching Boa.

"Are you sure? If you're hurt-"

"I'm fine." She told him again, much clearer this time. Hugh swallowed but nodded. Chris appeared again with a washcloth, cold with water, and Hugh winced as his mother placed it on his burn.

"Mei, could you go find Tepig for me? I wouldn't want him to feel neglected or anything-" I'd already stood up and headed towards the nearest hiding spot for something of Tepig's size. I could feel Hugh's eyes on the back of my head as I left his side.

The first place I looked was the downstairs bathroom, in the bathtub. That and underneath beds were Tepig's favorite hiding places during thunderstorms. He wasn't there, so I went to the Quiet room, where the family computer was and a small bookshelf and some bean bags. He wasn't there either, and neither was he in the playroom, where all of Hugh's old toys which now belonged to Lucy were.

I came back into the living room, where everyone was still crowded around Hugh. He was sitting up all on his own now, while Chris started to help his son up to the bathroom where they could bandage up his leg.

Upstairs, I first looked in Lucy's room, then Hugh's room, then the upstairs bathroom, the guest room, and finally Hugh's parents' room. Tepig wasn't in any.

"Tepig, here boy. Hugh's sorry about what happened, and I'm sure you are too, but you're gonna have to come out sooner or later little guy." Still nothing. I sighed, and sat down in the hallway, head in my hand. I looked around, trying to think of any place I hadn't yet checked.

My eyes then scanned over the hallway closet. The door was ever so slightly open. Standing up, I made my way over towards the closet and slowly opened the door. And there, trembling in the corner with his head shoved underneath a blanket, was Tepig. He hadn't heard me yet, and I reached my hand out towards the pig Pokemon. Just as I had touched the bulb of his tail, Tepig exploded. He squealed louder than I'd ever heard, turning around to face me with his eyes closed. He didn't attack but waved his head wildly around. I quickly pulled my hand back, and was now watching the terrified Pokemon in confusion.

It had been a long time since I'd seen Tepig act like this. Since that first time Hugh and his family had retracted from the rest of us, the worst time by far. How long ago had that been? Five years? I remember it clearly.

We'd just come back from a visit with relatives in Nuvema Town. Our family was already depressed as it was after yet another attempt to help out my mother's sister's family, if you could even call it that anymore. It was just her and her daughter White. Alexis, my aunt, had become depressed and even given all of her Pokemon away after her husband had died in a shipwreck, and White, who'd been only eleven years old, was never home. She was always getting into trouble, getting picked up by the police even then. My parents at that point had been beginning to feel like there was nothing that we could do.

I'd been sick of all the sadness at that point, so when we got back home, I did the first thing that came to mind. I went to go see Hugh. His mother had answered the door. Her multicolored eyes had been red, and she'd sounded sniffly. Hugh and Lucy had been upstairs, and I'd over course been expecting them to be together. But I hadn't been expecting Lucy to be in Hugh's arms, just sitting there.

Both looked like their mother. Red, puffy eyes. Sniffly. Lucy hid from me, behind her brother. We'd been friends before this. Never before had she been frightened, and most definitely not of me.

Then there was Hugh. He'd been angrier than I'd ever seen him, ferocious even as a ten year old. After nearly making me cry, Hugh had calmed down and awkwardly comforted me. But Tepig had been nowhere to be found. After Hugh had gone and found him, Tepig had looked at me with broken eyes, and struggled to run away with a broken leg. That had been one of the worst days of my life.

Now, looking at Tepig who had those same eyes, I was clueless. It'd taken months to regain the fire type's trust back then, what was I supposed to do in a matter of minutes?

"Oh Tepig..." I sighed again, sitting back on my knees and clasping my hands together. "How am I supposed to help you guys out when I don't even know why I have to?" Tepig stared at me from the corner, no longer shaking, but still not willing to come any closer.

"Let me," I jumped. Lucy had somehow sat next to me without my realizing it. She was alone. I backed away, against the wall on the opposite side of the hallway, and watched. "Tepig, no one's gonna hurt you, I promise. Hugh didn't mean it. No one here will ever hurt you or be mad at you, not ever, I promise." After a few more moments, with nothing happening, Lucy added on. "Hugh will never let anyone hurt you ever again." I stared in astonishment. No little girl should have so much depression and sorrow in her voice. But, it worked. Tepig crawled into her lap, and Lucy wrapped her arms around the Pokemon, looking large in her small arms. Neither looked at me when Lucy stood back up. She left the closet door open, and headed down the steps.

I felt very much awkward, but followed behind Lucille. Downstairs, the adults were talking quietly and continuing on with fixing up our little banquet. Except for Dana, who was sitting with Hugh, now in sweatpants, on the couch. Lucille sat on the other side of Hugh, leaning up against him and burying her face into his side. Hugh put an arm around her as Tepig crawled into his trainer's lap. Dana hugged both her children and Hugh gently rubbed the top of Tepig's head.

They all looked so depressed. I'd never felt more invisible.

"Alright everyone, the food is cooling down, so why don't we cheer everyone up with presents?" My mother, who wasn't very good with awkward moments, seemed desperate to get over this one.

Dana replied, sounding and looking much happier. "Sounds like a good idea to me, Hugh, Mei, over there in front of the TV." Dana pointed to where we were to be sitting. I forced a smile, but Hugh seemed contempt to stay neutral. We sat side by side, criss cross, as we were each handed our first gifts, cylindrical, and wrapped in blue wrapping paper covered with Pokeballs.

"You go first." Hugh instructed. I nodded, and gently tore away the paper, nothing like I would've done twenty minutes ago. Inside was five enlarged Pokeballs. Hugh opened his up to find the same thing.  
>"Thanks you guys, now we don't have to buy this stuff with our own money."<p>

"You mean the money that you don't have?" Hugh commented. Everyone laughed, finally lifting the uncomfortable atmosphere.

We both also received differently colored Badge Cases, a couple Potions, Revives, and other status healing medicines, maps of the region, I got a new pair of yellow and pink and white tennis shoes, Hugh received a black, single strap backpack, both of us received the TM containing Return, we both got two hundred dollars to start us off with, and I also got a huge pink purse/duffel bag. By the time we were done and people were starting to help themselves to food, I was still staring in wonder at the two hundred dollar bills I'd received.

"Memorize them while they last, cuz' that won't be long." I glared at Hugh, who'd begun filling up on chips and dip.

"Hey, I may not be the best with money, but I'll be the one with the full Badge Case." Hugh raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really?" I nodded proudly, giggling as Boa ran by, throwing up wrapping paper and playing with Deino, who he'd taken a liking to.

"Yup, just you wait Hugh Oakley, I've got plenty of time to beat you!"

_Tuesday, June 14th_

**OH MY GOSH WHY ARE THE CHAPTERS IN THIS STORY ALWAYS SO LONG. So yeah, sorry about that. Again, sort of a filler chapter, next one I promise we'll leave Aspertia City. And then come back. Cuz, you know, Cheren. **

**I'd also like to take just one moment to apologize to you for the name of this chapter...**

**...**

**Thank you. **

**Please tell me anything you think I should do with this story, and constructive criticism is always welcome! Thanks for reading! **


End file.
